Bone marrow donations can greatly prolong and enhance the life of a person infected with HIV/AIDS. When one receives a bone marrow donation they essentially are having their immune systen replaced by the immune system of their bone marrow donor. Thus, a recipient with HIV/AIDS already has a compromised immune system so any “new antibody” will help their quality of life in reference to opportunistic infections. First the recipient’s immune system is essentially destroyed through radiation of other means. They then receive the donor’s bone marrow, this bone marrow will replace their previously compromised immune system. While bone marrow donations are in no way a cure for HIV/AIDS this procedure can prolong the life of a person living with HIV/AIDS and also help their quality of life. They will “re-develop” the HIV/AIDS infection. However there was a study done in Germany in which a man who had Leukemia and HIV/AIDS received a bone marrow donation. Twenty months after his transplant the patient still has shown no signs of “re-developing” the HIV/AIDS virus, even though he has known spots of HIV infected cells in his brain he is not on any anti-retroviral therapy nor has he developed any opportunistic infections. However, there are still a lot of skeptics surrounding this discovery but there is hope that in the future bone marrow transplants may be able to help find a cure for HIV/AIDS.

Harrell, Eben, and London. “Can a Bone-Marrow Transplant Halt HIV? – TIME.” Health & Science. TIME, 13 Nov. 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1858843,00.html>.

Today in medicine there is a major need for life saving bone marrow donations. Bone marrow donations have been proven to cure many different diseases such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia, blood disorders, and many other life threatening diseases. The problem with bone marrow donations is that these donations are a genetic match. Thus, minorities have an especially difficult time finding a bone marrow donation as there are not as many genetic matches in the international registry. Thus there is a great necessity for more Latinos to register to become potential matches. As they happen to be one of the least targeted ethnic groups to register themselves in the international bone marrow registry. The whole process takes only about ten minutes and it is only a simple cheek swab! There are many donar registration drives however if anyone is interested you can go to bethematch.org or giftoflife.org. These are two international registries which will send you the kit and information for free so that you may be able to be that person to save someones life! Each day 6,000 people actively seek the registry in need of a life saving bone marrow donation. Only three out of ten of those will find the match that they need to live. Thus, we need as many people as possible to sign up to be a potential donor! There is only a one in one-thousand chance that any one person may be that match. The odds are very low but how many times in one’s life do we have the opportunity to directly save someone’s life?

By Ilyse Blazer

Although there is plenty of information available about AIDS, there is not much available about the effects of this particular life changing illness on people who are simultaneously aging.  With the effects of aging, it is important to be even more careful if you are diagnosed with HIV and/or AIDS.  According to one estimate, more than half of the people who are HIV positive in the United States will be 50 years old or older by the year 2015 (GMHC 2010).  With the help of the many different treatments that are available, it has become possible to live for a much longer time with HIV.  However, there is information and several precautions that are vital for these people to know.
People who are HIV positive and are 50 years of age or older are divided into three categories.  The categories are long-term survivors, recently diagnosed individuals, and newly infected individuals (GMHC 2010).  The long-term survivors are the largest group, but in recent years the number of people that are considered newly infected individuals has continued to grow.  This has become an extremely worrisome topic within the medical world because it represents a lack of education and available information in the community.  Among people in the United States, Latinos are five times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than their white counterparts (GMHC 2010).  It is therefore extremely important to seek information from your doctor despite the fact that there are cultural factors that associate shame with this particular illness. If your physician is not aware of your risks, you will most likely not be tested for HIV.
In addition to being honest with your doctor, there are many things that older people can do to improve their health while living with HIV.  Older people do not recover as quickly from minor illnesses as young people, and the effects of HIV working simultaneously with the effects of the minor illness make it very difficult for older people to achieve a complete recovery.  For this reason, older people should do their best to avoid contact with sick people as well as objects and places that seem dirty in any way.  In addition, exercise and nutrition play crucial roles because it’s possible to avoid cardiac disease, arthritis, depression, and many other illnesses that more often affect older patients around the world.  All of these complications have the potential to make living with HIV much more difficult and they also further diminish the possibility of survival (GMHC 2010).
The aging process is especially difficult, and for someone with HIV it’s even more complicated.  It’s important to be completely honest with your physician, follow a strict diet and exercise plan, and avoid minor illnesses that have the potential to further disrupt the immune system.  It is also valuable to seek information about the financial aid that is offered by various organizations because living with HIV, especially if you are retired, is exceedingly expensive.

The information used in this article was obtained from:
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Inc (2010).  “Growing Older With The Epidemic: HIV And Aging.”  GMHC.  http://www.gmhc.org/files/editor/file/a_pa_aging10_emb2.pdf

1. American Geological Institute Minority Geosciences Student Scholarship - deadline: March 15, 2011
2. The Jackie Robinson Foundation, for high school seniors – deadline: March 15, 2011
3. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants – deadline: April 1, 2011
4. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Congressional Summer Internship – deadline April 16, 2011
5. LGBT Scholarships – deadline: April 30, 2011
6. Hispanic Scholarship Fund, for high school and college students – deadline: May 2, 2011
7. Actuary Scholarships for Minority Students – deadline: May 4, 2011
8. Adelante US Education Leadership Fund – deadline: May 27, 2011
9. Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, for high school seniors – deadline: October 31, 2011
10. Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program – deadline: October 2011
11. Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education- deadline: November 1, 2011
12. Kaiser Media Internships in Health Reporting- applications available October 2011
13. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
14. Engineering for Minorities
15. International Education Financial Aid
16. Jack Kent Cook Foundation Graduate Scholars Program
17. Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund National Association of Hispanic Journalists – coming soon

Good Luck!

While in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, this past Christmas, I visited a home for children living with HIV/AIDS. This home, called Amor y Vida, is essentially the lifeline for children who have either been born with the disease or contracted it at an early age. Established on September 1, 1994, the non-profit organization began to provide a loving home and hope to children living with HIV/AIDS. The children are often orphaned or abandoned by family members who are afraid of contracting the deadly disease. Fortunately, Amor y Vida can help them.

A small clinic can be found on site that provides medical services and medicines to help the children combat the diseases. Through donations, the home is able to provide medication for each of the children living there, and the results show. The medicine allows the children to keep the effects of the disease under control, minimizing the chances of further development and maximizing the quality of the children’s lives. Doctors and nurses specializing in the treatment of this disease staff the clinic, and international experts occasionally visit, too.

Teachers are available for both the pre-school and elementary school level children; the home has a classroom on site. Once the children reach sixth grade, they continue their education at state institutions.

The children are regular kids. They love to play, draw, laugh, sing, dance—just be kids. Recently, a group of Tulane students built them two swing sets and a trampoline to add to their possibilities of merriment. The kids were overjoyed when we finished putting them together. We hardly had time to complete the various projects before they started climbing all over everything. I would have never assumed they were ill. They live normal lives, with the exception of the strict medication plan that anyone living with HIV/AIDS must follow. The children were an inspiration, we heard their aspirations and dreams. Despite their illness, they are similar to children in the United States, and everywhere in the world. It was a powerful experience and I will carry the hope of those children with me forever.

If you want more information, please visit their website:

http://www.amoryvidahn.com/

Time 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

]]> http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-4/feed/langswitch_lang/en/ 0 http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-3/ http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-3/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:12:35 +0000 intern http://llhc.info/?p=803 Monthly LLHC Board Meeting at 2601 Tulane Ave, 5th floor, New Orleans, LA

Time 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

]]> http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-3/feed/langswitch_lang/en/ 0 http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-2/ http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-2/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:11:17 +0000 intern http://llhc.info/?p=801 Monthly LLHC Board Meeting at 2601 Tulane Ave, 5th floor, New Orleans, LA

Time 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

]]> http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo-2/feed/langswitch_lang/en/ 0 http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo/ http://llhc.info/reunion-del-consejo/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:08:39 +0000 intern http://llhc.info/?p=799 Monthly LLHC Board Meeting at 2601 Tulane Ave, 5th floor, New Orleans, LA

Time 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

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